Drug house raided

A RECENT dramatic two hour drug-bust led to the arrest of five Congolese immigrants and a confession from one South African citizen in Station Road Observatory.
Undercover cops from the Claremont's Crime Intelligence unit watched the drug house at 17 Station Road for two weeks, following the suspected drug dealers, and watching their movements. One of the undercover cops said that he received information from drug addicts that the house in Station Road supplied the drug dealers in Lower Main Road.
One of the undercover cops bought drugs from the suspected dealer who lived in the house that they raided, which verified their investigation.
Three men were arrested and taken to the Woodstock police station, and two women were not searched at the premises, because there wasn't a female cop on duty, and they were transported in an unmarked police vehicle to the precinct to be searched by a female police officer, while the third told the undercover cop that she "wanted to talk," and got into his vehicle.
Six undercover cops raided the home and turned the content of the house upside down.

Walking into the home, a strong stench made its way through from the kitchen area, which may have been old food. Bases of mattresses were ripped open, clothes scattered on the floor, TV's opened, eventually finding stashes of, what an the highest ranking undercover cop said was, the potent type of marijuana, and cocaine in the fireplace and the dustbin. The cocaine was wrapped in a white plastic bag with street value of about R200 to R300, and the marijuana, was valued at R150 per bank bag, of which they had fifteen bank bags, and a plastic bag full of marijuana amounting to over 50 bags.
Two weeks prior to this raid, another search was conducted at the same house, and the cops found 63g of Chrystal meth. No arrests were made, as there were no drugs found on the suspects themselves, but the suspected dealers weren't as lucky the second time around, when police found drugs on them.
With the first raid, the estate agency which is leasing the home, two doors from their offices, Rose Eedes Properties, were unaware and were only made aware of the second bust by the landlord, who happened to be passing through the area. Diane, the rental agent, said that the man leasing the premises was in Congo at the time, but arrived back in South Africa the day after the raid. She said that this was strange, because she had called to see him before, but he said he was unable to come down to South Africa.

The locks on the doors were immediately changed, and an immediate eviction notice was served to the former tenant.

Diane said that they kept a sign in book, to monitor the collection of items from the house by the former tenants family. On one occasion  three women signed in at the Rose Eedes reception desk, to collect the furniture from the house, shortly after, Natalie Mentz, secretary at Rose Eedes Properties, took the insurance guy to inspect the property. To her surprise, five men were shouting in the house and then had a go at her, asking her "where is my money?". She said she was so frightened that she left the property. Diane said that they found beer and cider courts in the fridges, and heard from friends of the accused, that they were selling liquor from the house.

*The raid seemed to filter through Obs drug trade, exposing the lines of communication between the drug dealers when, shortly after the arrests, a smartly dressed man walked up to the house. He claimed to be the brother of one of the men who was arrested. He looked worried, and immediately phoned around.
Later, ObsLife witnessed suspected drug-dealers, who we have seen dealing in Lower Main Road, outside Cozy Bar, walk towards the house. A homeless man, who usually washes the cars in Station Road, warned the man who was approaching the house, that the police are on the look and that he "must be careful." The suspected drug dealer then turned up Oxford Road instead of proceeding towards the just raided house.

The Claremont Crime Intelligent unit assists with Woodstock and Mowbray operations when need arises.

The statement received from Hilton Malila, Media liaison officer at the Woodstock precinct read as follows: "The arrest follows after the members received and followed up on information obtained about illegal activities at the Station road home . Upon arrival, police members found five people in the house. During a searching of the premises they confiscated a plastic bag filled with dagga, 15 bank bags dagga and a white plastic bag containing cocaine. The estimated street value of the drugs confiscated is plus/ minus R5000-00.
The suspects arrested made their first court appearance in the Cape Town magistrates court , on 28 January 2013 and was released on bail. They will appear again on 8 March 2013. The amount of bail paid is not yet known to the police."

Sizzling performances at the Summer festival

THE River Club may become the next Kirstenbosch Gardens, attracting big names and hosting summer concerts, because of the recent Summer Experience which attracted 1500 people to the venue, enjoying Micasa, Jimmy Nevis, Euphonik, Ryan Dent and many more.
The summer music festival organised by Big Dreams Production, was the first big event the River Club has hosted. The sound projected towards Maitland, with little sound escaping the grounds. Noise could not be heard from the streets and stayed within the venue.The event kicked off at 4pm and ended at 12am, which was a disappointment to the crowd, as the tickets and advertisements stipulated that the event would only conclude at 2am, but Shane Abrahams, organiser of the event from Big Dreams Productions, said that the City Of Cape Town only granted a permit for 12am.
The fear of congested streets and traffic violation from Trevor Hughes, resident in Obs, was thrown out the window, as The River Club provided parking for 800 cars, resulting in no parking issues, as space was still available for cars to park within the venue throughout the evening.
Micasa rocked the event with their soulful sounds a long with Jimmy Nevis. The event brought out big names such as, cricket sensation, JP Duminy, and Western Province rugby centre, Juan de Jongh, who took over the dance floor.People rocked up with their umbrellas and picnic blankets, and partied the night away.Shane Abrahams, the organiser from Big Dreams said that the event was a success and that he looks forward to hosting another one at the River Club.
Ticket prices from Computicket were sold at R150 for general-standing and R250 for VIP. Patrons paid R180 for general-standing and R280 for VIP at the door.
Jason said that the Concert went well and that it was a great success according to their client, Big Dreams Production.He said: “We had no problems and all ran very well. It ended at the time stipulated on our noise exemption certificate which was 12am. This was the time it was approved to run till.We cannot say if it will take place here again. This was not our concert; we simply provided a venue for a client. At this stage, there are no concerts planned for this year, however anything can change.”
Shane said that the venue worked well and that the event was a success. He said that the next Summer Festival will be returning to the River Club at the same time at the end of the year.
ObsLife couldn’t find anyone unhappy with the concert.

Succesfull ArtWalk

THE recent annual ArtWalk which included Observatory was described as one of the most successful.
The number of participants was boosted because the project, which aims to bring the public into the studios of local artists, formed part of the Cape Town Art Week.
Seven art studios in Observatory took part in the Art Walk, which also extended to studios in Woodstock and Salt River.
Over two days, studios and artists opened their opened their workspaces to the local community and the broader public.
In Obs, the participants included Bijou Studios, Peter van Straten, Spencer Street Studios, Paul Birchall, Thelma Mort and Jenny Parsons.
Mapped routes were designed to provide visitors with easy access to participating studios by following the ArtWalk routes.
Local artist Peter van Straten, whose studio in Milton Road received about two dozen visitors over the Art Walk weekend, praised the event, saying it seemed to be bigger and better organised than previous years.
He said the concept is very good for artists.
Unlike an exhibition at a gallery, it carries very little cost for an artist, who gets to sell his work from his studio without any gallery commissions.
Visitors come because they are interested in the work, as opposed to visiting a gallery as a social space.
Catherine Moss, owner of Artsource, said they held an art workshop which attracted many people. She reckons the big turnout was because ArtWalk took place under the banner of the Cape Town Art Week.

Popular boerewors stall turns seven

WHEN a boerewors stall starts taking orders telephonically from local businesses and residents it is clear that they are well established.
Two sisters, Veroda Schaffer, 42,  and Lorraine Classens, 38, are regularly seen taking orders by cellphone at their busy stall in Station Road, called the Blue Tent Burger Hut, in front of the Metro traffic training department.
They bought the stall from the previous owner, the Farbers butchery in Station Road which went bankrupt seven years ago.
There is no rest for the women, who are swamped with orders and who serve their regular clients the clearly popular boerewors rolls, burgers, steak rolls and cheese grillers.
Lorraine and Veroda live in Lavender Hill and Mitchell's Plain respectively, and travel to Observatory by train every day to open their stall at 9am and trade until 3.30pm.
Veroda says customers travel as far as Milnerton to buy their tasty food.
The sisters follow a low-price-high-volume strategy, and make enough sustain themselves and employ two homeless people who help set up the stall every day.
They buy their stock from Kwikspar and the Maitland butchery and keep their equipment overnight at Bernado’s Take-aways next to the Kwikspar.
Other costs include wages, paying the council for the stall R125 per month and stock.
Asked how they have experience the changes in Obs over the years, Lorraine says crime has increased and students don't roam the streets as much anymore and many businesses moved out.
She said: “Sometimes Obs looks like a ghost town (empty streets, hardly any people around)”.
On the other hand, Veroda says that Obs is being beautified and thinks they should be included in the improvement by upgrading to a wendy-house.
The stall is open from Monday to Friday and two Saturdays at the end of each month during summer.
To order, phone 072 429 7764.

Mosaic Artwork

ONE of the few pieces of public art in Observatory is almost hidden as a bus stop shelter outside the University of Cape Town’s medical library in Anzio Road, but once it catches your eye, it is as striking as the story behind it.
The mosaic mural called “Long Life” originated in 2002, when HIV positive women produced “body maps” on which they depicted their feelings and stories of living with HIV.
They were part of a support group called Bambanani (Xhosa for “hold” or “support each other”) in Khayelitsha. The members traced the outlines of their bodies on large pieces of paper.
On these figures, the women drew and wrote about aspects of their life with HIV.
The idea was to help them to come to terms with it, and to help free them from the stigma of the disease and feelings of guilt and shame that went with it.
It was at a time when HIV was highly politicised and was just emerging from its stigma as a death sentence to be seen increasingly as a treatable chronic disease.
The body maps produced in the workshops became quite well known and were exhibited as far away as New York.
In 2006, the University of Cape Town’s Works of Art Committee commissioned ceramicist and mosaic artist Lovell Friedman to turn it into a mural on the once-drab wall of the medical library.
The mural, consisting of three of the body maps, tells a remarkable story of healing and hope.

Seventeenth garden and counting

A DUSTY gravel patch under the Station Road Bridge along the railway fence in Oak Road has been beautified by an Observatory Improvement District (OBSID) public garden initiative.
The OBSID gardens, established with donations from residents and the hard work of OBSID gardener Ibrahim Chiwaya, now amount to seventeen.
The latest garden was initiated when Obs resident Anthony Wood, 69,  approached the OBSID about the gravel patch opposite Cape Mental Health in Oak Street, and asked if it could be converted into a garden. The gardening enthusiast and former nursery owner provided plants and mulch. Ibrahim spent three days establishing the garden in the hard soil.
The OBSID’s approach is to propagate plant water-wise plants in its gardens so as to minimise the need for watering.
But even so, the biggest challenge with the OBSID’s gardening effort so far has been the availability of water trolley’s to cart water canisters to each garden.

Four homeless died in 2012

THE harsh life on the streets took its toll on six of Obs homeless residents who passed away during 2012.
Obituaries of the six were read out at a Christmas lunch for Observatory’s homeless residents organised by the Observatory Improvement District.
The lunch, part of the OBSID’s Give-Responsibly Campaign over the festive season, was attended by about 56 homeless residents of Obs.
The Give-Responsibly Campaign is aimed at persuading Obs residents not to give cash to the homeless, as it usually ends up in the pockets of bottle store owners and drug dealers, and keep the homeless trapped on the streets. Residents should rather give meal vouchers, food donations and support for social-work projects.
OBSID Chief Operating Officer Ursula van Stavel said they are very grateful to residents who responded to calls for donations towards the Christmas lunch, which was held at the Salvation Army Church in Dane Street.
Johnny Burgoyne, Salvation Army  pastor, opened with a prayer. Each participant received a goody bag which included meal vouchers, Haven passports and toiletry packs.
The OBSID would like to thank Securistore, Loaves and Fishes, Obz KwikSpar, The Haven, Werner Steyn, Sean Walpole, Mya Zwicky, Matt Rich, and Kris Marais for their generous donations.
The six homeless residents who passed away during 2012 were Mita Jaarts, Pietie Boonzieer, Nofeko Tswanelo, Maria Baadtjies, Methew Williams and Kasiefa Links.

Safety patrols strengthened by interns

THREE interns helping out with the OBSID Public Safety patrols got off to an exciting start when they apprehended a suspected burglar in Arnold Street scarcely a week after starting at the Observatory Improvement District (OBSID).
The suspected burglar was caught carrying a compressor allegedly stolen from Arnold Street. He was handed over to the police
The three patrollers are part of a group of seven youngsters from Chrysalis Academy in Tokai who were recruited for an internship of three months at the OBSID.
All indications are that their presence on the streets of Observatory have been a significant boost for the OBSID Public Safety patrols over the festive season.
The Chrysalis Academy is an initiative by the provincial government aimed at giving training and work experience to youngsters at risk.
Charl Brooks, the contract manager of the OBSID Public Safety patrols, said crime levels were particularly low over the festive season. The extra eyes and ears on the street generated lots of useful information, much of which were passed on to the police.
The Chrysalis patrollers wear blue T-shirts. They patrol mostly wearing bright blue OBSID bibs, but some of them work “under cover” in civilian clothes in order to observe and gather information. They work from Mondays to Fridays from 8am to 4pm.
Their presence has enabled the OBSID to shift some of the full-time patrollers onto night duty.
The general feeling among the Chrysalis patrollers is that they are happy to be working in Obs. The young men, aged from 19 to 22, said their three-month training at the academy was very strenuous and physical, but it also included leadership skills, security, welding, anger management, team building, cooking, carpentry, first-aid and fire fighting courses.
Ursula van Stavel, OBSID COO, said she was impressed with the quality of the young trainees. A new group from Chrysalis will take their place when their internship finishes at the end of February.  Most of the interns have plans to study further ranging from policing, cooking, and electrical studies.
Ursula said the youth training is an important part of the OBSID’s vision of being a constructive, uplifting civic citizen. Currently, two interns from Cape Mental Health in Oak Road are helping out as interns at the OBSID’s office as part of their reintegration into society.

Developers ignore council orders

A THREE-STOREY 18-unit rogue building is going up in St Michael’s Street despite two stop-build orders from the City and serious complaints from a neighbour who claims he was almost killed when a wall from the building collapsed on his patio.
Local city councillor Paddy Chapple confirmed that various fines have been levied against the developers, the Venture Group, for building transgressions and that two orders to cease building operations at number 18 St Michael’s Street have been ignored.
Building work on the complex, which developer Chris Hayman says he wants to sell as student accommodation although it has officially only been approved as offices, started in September last year, apparently without any approved plans. Plans were only submitted two months later, according to Paddy.
The neighbours, Trish and Ron Gates, claim that the previous structure on the erf was demolished without go-ahead from the council.
They told ObsLife that relations with the developers started off friendly enough even though they were not consulted about the new building.
But the Gates noticed various building irregularities and by the time the wall had collapsed on the Gates’ patio because it did not have the required supports, relations with the company had soured.
Ron said had he not moved away seconds before the wall collapsed, he would have been killed.
After one of the stop-build orders from the City, the Gates heard noises from the building. Trish inspected, and found worker inside, trying to work as quietly as possible.
ObsLife first became interested in the structure because of the unusual building method - it is built from polystyrene bricks filled with cement. Developer Chris Hayman was at first keen to market the building to ObsLife as an environmentally friendly project.
But when ObsLife subsequently approached him for information about the complaints and stop-build orders, he failed to return phone calls. ObsLife was therefore unable to get any comments from the Venture Group on the allegations.
However, in the first interview he admitted to ObsLife that he intended to sell the units as student flats, even though it is official approved only as offices. He told Obslife not to “mention that”.
Council building regulations state that  accommodation units must include parking space on the property, but offices don’t need to. Councillor Paddy Chapple said the plans submitted to the council describe the units as offices, but the plans given to the architect showed accommodation units, complete with showers.
Ron Gates said that building with polystyrene bricks allows the builder to use unskilled labour. “To build with polystyrene is brilliant for low cost building, but not for this building," he said, adding that the builders did not use proper equipment, or structural reinforcements.

Student complex turns one

WHEN 880 UCT students return to Obz Square residence in Main Road on 29 January, they will be celebrating the first birthday of the giant student complex, providing a good opportunity for Observatory to assess the impact of the giant hostel on the suburb.
There is little evidence that any of the fears of parking congestion and noise expressed during the development of Obz Square has been realised. Local residents shared only minor complaints with ObsLife.
Marc Turok, Observatory resident who used to live in William Street behind the site where the seven-storey Obz Square went up, said pedestrian congestion has been successfully handled and students seem to be crossing Main Road safely. But the Jammie Shuttle, UCT’s student bus service, tends to block Greens Passage, the narrow road alongside Obz Square, when it stops for up to fifteen minutes. It effectively uses Greens Passage as a bus terminus, blocking it for other vehicles.
A nearby resident who did not give his name told ObsLife that the area sometimes it gets noisy but he said it was usually caused by students passing through, not by those living in Obz Square.
Another resident living behind Obz Square, Tapusaz Jonathan, said the students seem to be parking everywhere despite the presence of parking bays in the basement of Obz Square: “They park where they feel like parking. They park in the streets in front of houses anywhere, but it doesn't bother me because I don't have a car," he said.
A manager at Obz Square who did not want to be named because of UCT’s strict policy forbidding employees direct contact with the media, said Obz Square had a “hectic” start at the beginning of last year. They had to deal with"a lot of attitude" from the neighbours, but by June last year things had settled down.
According to Kemantha Govender, the media liaison at UCT, Obz Square received complaints about the noise generated from the residence, but the issues were addressed with the students and resolved.
Comments from local business owners, who had eagerly awaited the flood of business from 1 000 extra students in Observatory, shows a similar subdued impact of Obz Square on life in Observatory. Mike Webber-Harris of Obviouzly Armchair in Lower Main Road says he had experience no significant increase in turnover last year. His comments were echoed by other business owners along Lower Main Road.
There is also no sign of any of the retail shopping spaces on the ground floor of the building has been let yet, probably because the rentals charged does not fit the current slow economic conditions.
Perhaps the greatest impact of Obz Square on Observatory was to seal the fate of the section of the suburb on the mountain side of Main Road as a high-rise apartment precinct.
Marc, who successfully fought Obz Square’s application for an additional eighth storey, moved elsewhere in Obs  after his neighbours in William Street behind Obz Square sold their homes to the property developers, and his was one of the few residential  homes left.
Students and managers at Obz Square says because most of the students living there are seniors, including post-grads, the focus of the residence tends to be on academics and not on partying.
Rizaan Samuels, senior sub-warden for the second-year students at Obz Square, said that that he was at UCT’s Smuts Hall residence for four years before moving to Obz Square, and that Smuts Hall had many more traditions and organised activities than Obz Square because it is a much older residence.
He said it was “very exciting” living at Obz Square because it's different and new, and they are trying to establish a community-focus tradition for the residence. Students are encouraged to do community outreach, for example with the Arcadia Place old-age home next to Obz Square.

Child drug slaves

By Naquita Hendricks
STRONG, direct evidence has emerged of why Observatory residents must not give money or food to the children begging at local traffic lights and shops.
ObsLife has captured on camera images of regular local child beggars smoking drugs in the Groote Schuur graveyard with the adults who exploit them.
An investigation by ObsLife revealed that Observatory is “home” to a group of about eight children aged between eight and thirteen, many of whom come from Valhalla Park. They are being exploited by a number of adults who give them drugs in return for the money they get begging at the Main Road intersections with Station and Anzio Road, among other places.
Interviews with social workers and street people indicate that the number of children in the loose grouping occasionally rises as children from mainly Khayelitsha and Philippi pass through Observatory. They are mainly boys, but sometimes they are joined by two small girls.
Kenneth Roman, the Observatory Improvement District’s field worker for the homeless, says the drug-addicted adults who exploit them include a mother whose children were previously removed from her care after she burnt the hand of her 12-year-old daughter. Kenneth said he did not know how she managed to regain custody of her children. The heroin addict currently uses her children and two grandchildren to beg for her.
The activities of the children observed by ObsLife were confirmed by local street people as typical of their daily movements.
On one occasion, ObsLife observed two boys who were begging at the Anzio Road traffic lights jump the fence into the Groote Schuur graveyard.
The boys walked towards a woman

who had a little girl in her arms, and a man. They huddled and were seen smoking what is believed to be unga, a heroin derivative. The children smoked openly, while the adults covered their heads with jackets as they smoked.
 After a while, the boys emerged from the graveyard and started begging again, this time in the St Peter’s Square parking lot.
Kenneth explains that the children come from extremely depraved backgrounds. Many have run away from home to escape abuse. To illustrate the extent of parental neglect they suffer, Kenneth tells of how he recently took a young boy back to his home in Valhalla Park after he was caught grabbing money from people at the Standard Bank ATM in Station Road.
Kenneth was greeting at the door of the boy’s home by the mother, who blew out a puff of Mandrax-and-dagga smoke and asked: "What did he do this time?"
Despite his attempts to get social workers involved in the case, Kenneth says the boy was back on the streets of Observatory after a week.
Apart from the grouping from Valhalla Park, social workers are also aware of an alcoholic mother who regularly begs in Observatory with a small boy and girl. She claims to have come from Groote Schuur Hospital and needed money to get home.

Return of Barmooda?

THE owners of the Barmooda building on the corner of Station Road and Lower Main Road have vehemently denied that the controversial night club will return to premises.

This follows a broadcast by Reon Hekrath, the owner of Barmooda which burnt down in June this year, via the Blackberry Messaging service that “Barmooda will be around soon, for a very long time”.

He gave no indication of where he intends to reopen his nightclub, which for years was the cause of many noise and nuisance complaints in Observatory.

But according to a former employee who did not want to be named, and who is friendly with Reon, the talk is that Barmooda will be coming back to Obs.

Reon message, sent out to former employees and patrons, reads: "So Barmooda officially opened its doors eight years ago today (4 December) We've had many, many great nights with amazing people. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for contributing to the success of Barmooda over the past eight years. The DJ's, bartenders, security personnel, the cleaning staff, and most importantly, the patrons. My dream was to reach ten years, a decade, but unfortunately I never achieved this there, and coming back from what has happened has not been an easy task. However, there's been an overwhelming show of support, and I intend on completing the rest of the two years, so that I may achieve my ten year goal. There is no doubt that Barmooda will be around soon, for a very long time.The official Barmooda Capetown group went live today on Facebook. Best Regards, Reon".

But Brian Roberts of Zhauns Business Opportunity and Engineering Group which owns the building, said they will “not ever” allow Barmooda back into the building, "under no circumstances will he (Reon) be allowed back”. Asked why Barmooda will not be allowed back, Brian said: "We have our own reasons, which cannot be disclosed."

ObsLife tried to contact Reon, but he was unavailable for comment.

The Barmooda building burnt down in June when a robber set the building alight. It was not the first time for the night club to be the scene of major crime. A well-known gangster Ricky Oaker was shot and killed in front of the club a few years ago and rumours abounded about the club’s links to drug gangs.